Environmentally Friendly Plastic Pallets
29 Feb 2016
Making your business more environmentally friendly reduces your impact on the environment and preserves natural resources. However, what many companies are finding is that implementing changes to reduce their environmental impact also offers a financial reward in the form of cost savings and by attracting new customers.
The Natural Marketing Institute found in their consumer research that knowing that a company considers their impact on the environment makes customers 58% more likely to buy their products or services. It makes sense for a company to make changes and to promote their environmentally friendly products and credentials.
Environmentally Friendly Plastic Pallets
One way in which to make a change is to upgrade materials handling and move from traditional wooden pallets to new plastic pallets.
Plastic crates are more environmentally friendly as they reduce the use of natural materials during production and come with a much longer working life. A plastic pallet will be in use for around ten times longer than a wooden pallet.
Plastic boxes, crates and pallets are made from 100% recycled plastics and are completely recyclable. In addition, there is no need for fumigation to meet import regulations. Plastic pallets are ISPM 15 exempt, whereas wood pallets must be heat-treated and clearly marked to prevent the spread of pests between countries.
Additional Benefits
New plastic pallets offer far more than just environmental benefits. In terms of workplace health and safety, they are leagues ahead of wooden pallets and the risks they pose because of their nails, sharp edges and splinters. With the plastic pallet moulded in one piece, there is no risk of breakage or materials injuring workers’ hands.
This moulding is carried out under extreme pressure with strict quality control measures, ensuring that the size and weight limits are always exact. This allows forklift and pallet jack handling to be more straightforward and eliminates the inconsistency of wooden pallets.
Wood is an absorbent material, and wooden pallets do not perform well in contact with any liquid. Both polyethylene and polypropylene pallets do not suffer from the same issues. They do not absorb water or allow for the growth of bacteria, are immune to infestation, mould and mildew and impervious to acids, fats, solvents and odours.
This durability means that new plastic pallets can be easily washed, pressure-cleaned or heat-sterilised, making them ideal for the shipment of food or pharmaceutical products and within hygienic areas and clean rooms.